I am searching for a used e91. At first I was looking strictly for an MT, CPO 328i (no X) under 40k mile example under $25K, hopefully in Alpine white with tan interior. I know, I know, I might as well be looking for Santa and the tooth fairy. So I have dropped my concession of the MT, and I am wondering if I should drop the CPO qualifier too. It appears I will be looking at the 07-09 era and if it is the older years I believe the CPO will expire fairly soon anyway, I believe it's six years total correct? I am wondering with all the experiences of all of you have is the CPO worth it or should I focus more on the mileage. Lately I've seen a few that meet all of my edited criteria and they have mileage in the 30's, should I just jump on one of these? Thanks in advance for any input.

Steve

Oh yeah, anybody have third party warranties? If so what are the costs and do you think they are worth it?

With 328s you do not have to worry about a warranty. It is a BMW so they do have their problems but it isn't an early production N54.

If you really want a 6mt e91 broaden the distance on search. By searching cars that aren't CPO either you should have more luck. As for the color choice, you're looking for Joseph Smith's Golden Tablets so good luck there.

Thanks for the input fellas. I really do want the MT and I'm not really on any kind of time constraint, so I will probably just keep looking daily. I'm not dead set on the color, that's just what I'd prefer. I'm pretty much open on color, I just will not go red or black. I like things subtle. Any advice on searches? I look here, autotrader.com, thru the BMW website, and eBay. And yes I set the search parameters to nationwide. Thanks again. I will post pics when I find my unicorn

With 328s you do not have to worry about a warranty. It is a BMW so they do have their problems but it isn't an early production N54.

If you really want a 6mt e91 broaden the distance on search. By searching cars that aren't CPO either you should have more luck. As for the color choice, you're looking for Joseph Smith's Golden Tablets so good luck there.

I bought my 06 build 335i E92 right when it came out. ZERO problems, and all regular mait. Oil every 15K, and I have the JB+ for Mods, with about 20K on it with the tune. Currently at 55 XXX miles. No HPFP (though replaced under recall two oil changes ago), no turbo problems, just joy everytime I start it up.

But back to the OP, as long as you have some cash on hand for repairs, as you should with ANY car out of warranty, you'll be good to go.

CPO defintely on 335i, I think even on bmw V6/V8 engines any model. I believe the N52 engine like 06 330i is best setup you can buy as E90 but you gotta look in 500mile radius cause they are hard to come by.

OP - I just recently bought my 08 E91 MT. My search took about 3 months ~
I looked out of state and definetely locally with no luck. I worked with an Auto Broker who found one from BMW auction locally last week. Car came from the East coast. Warranty expires next week. Took her in today for check up and the only thing they found was front brakes and they were replaced under warranty. My previous BMW was a CPO E46 M3 and the 3 yrs I owned her had only a door rubber cover loose and some adjustment to my xenons. I believe on the type of engine (In your case N52) you should not worry. Even the service advisor told me today might not be worth it.

As far as finding your unicorn there are out there. I think your budget does not sound too bad but you will find very basic optioned car with maybe some higher miles.

If you are willing to increase the budget you will find her. Just be patient.

I know I only have mine for 1 week but I enjoy the driving experience and look forward to what I will do to her

Patience will be a virtue on this one. I gave up, sucked it up, and bought a new one with Euro Delivery. I am not a fan of any sort of extended warranty, CPO or not. I simply would never buy a car where I "needed" one. The e91 certainly is not that car.

When I bought 2 years ago CPO would have cost me $5000 more than a no warranty 330i. I kept my $5000 and have had less than $500 in repairs over the past 2 years. If I had found a CPO car for $2000 more I would have paid for it.

As others have said, you have to be patient for the right used BMW to come along and be willing to travel much farther than your local dealership to get a car with your "essential" options. In other words, you'll probably never find a used BMW optioned exactly the way you want it anyway, so you need to remain flexible on certain things (but I'd never compromise on the manual transmission, sport package or rear wheel drive). For me, 6MT, ZSP and RWD are essential and all other options are negotiable.

I managed to find my CPO MT 2007 E91 about 2 years ago with 30k miles. The car is great, but last year, 2 alternators and the IBS unit were replaced under the remaining 4 year OEM warranty because of an intermittent electrical problem.

About 6 months ago, the problem returned (spurious "low battery" warnings apparently caused by a grounding fault) and the car is now in the shop. Even though the OEM warranty has expired, I've been assured that the problem will be fixed at no cost (I assume I'll pay the $50 deductible) under the CPO.

So while the N52 motor seems to be bullet proof, the electrical system's complexities would seem to be a good arguement for the CPO or equivalent coverage.

I managed to find my CPO MT 2007 E91 about 2 years ago with 30k miles. The car is great, but last year, 2 alternators and the IBS unit were replaced under the remaining 4 year OEM warranty because of an intermittent electrical problem.

About 6 months ago, the problem returned (spurious "low battery" warnings apparently caused by a grounding fault) and the car is now in the shop. Even though the OEM warranty has expired, I've been assured that the problem will be fixed at no cost (I assume I'll pay the $50 deductible) under the CPO.

So while the N52 motor seems to be bullet proof, the electrical system's complexities would seem to be a good arguement for the CPO or equivalent coverage.

Tom

It's my experience that electrical systems have been the biggest weakness in my 3-Series BMWs too, and it's these items that will most likely have pre and post warranty issues (blower motors, window regulators, etc.). That’s why I’d never order a BMW with Active Cruise Control, Comfort Access, iDrive, Park Distance Control or other fancy electronic gadgets that add nothing to the car’s performance. The potential costs of fixing any of these frivolous electronic options post-warranty simply isn't worth the risk in my opinion.

3-Series cooling systems are also somewhat lacking, but I've never had a water pump, radiator, thermostat, hose, head gasket, etc. fail on me within 6 years of the car's delivery date.

You just have to weigh the up-front costs of a CPO warranty (that may or may not be used) against the potential for unscheduled maintenance costs (parts & labor) to fix a 3-Series BMW's most common problems.

I still contend that the average costs of fixing a NATURALLY ASPIRATED 3-Series BMW's most common problems (those problems that may occur between 4 and 6 years of ownership) aren't anywhere near the cost of a CPO warranty (which adds about a $2-3K premium to the sale price of a BMW CPO 3-Series vehicle).

As others have said, you have to be patient for the right used BMW to come along and be willing to travel much farther than your local dealership to get a car with your "essential" options. In other words, you'll probably never find a used BMW optioned exactly the way you want it anyway, so you need to remain flexible on certain things (but I'd never compromise on the manual transmission, sport package or rear wheel drive). For me, 6MT, ZSP and RWD are essential and all other options are negotiable.

+1 that. VERY tough to find exactly what you want on used market unless you order brand new

Fwiw I have an automatic N52 cpo, no problems for +30k miles, then out of nowhere I need a steering angle sensor ( at 55k miles) which apparently is not cheap, this was covered under the cpo.
I do not regret paying more for a cpo vehicle, I do regret not holding off for a manual...btw sport pkg is a must